1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device and method for casting a fishing line over a great distance to a desired location in a lake, stream, surf or the like. The device has a cylinder which is anchored to the ground by means of a cone shaped spike having auger blades formed around the spike for the purpose of holding the cylinder next to the ground. The device further includes a ridge on the side of the cylinder adapted to interfere and mate with a groove in a cap which fits on top of the cylinder and which holds a line inside the cylinder preferrably with a hook, weight and bait assembly attached to the line. By placing the line, weight and hook inside the cylinder and by holding the line and assembly inside the cylinder by means of the cap, a fisherman with a flexible fishing rod may apply significantly greater amounts of pressure to the weight prior to launching the weight into the desired fishing location and thereby achieve greater casting distances than would otherwise be available.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional way to cast out a fishing line is with a long casting rod of 4 to 8 feet in length with a reel attached to the line. The rod is swung through an arc to build up centrifugal force at the foward tip of the rod at the precise moment the reel is released causing the weighted fishing line to strip off the reel and be cast out through the foward tip of the rod. In the present invention this is modified by holding the weight in the cylinder of the invention until the desired amount of pressure or force is built up against the cap attached to the top of the cylinder. At that precise moment, the weight is released by forcing the cap off of the top of the cylinder. The weight then begins a trajectory over the head of the fisherman and the weight pulls additional fishing line off of the reel as it travels towards its desired location.
Spring loaded devices exist which significantly increase the distance over which a fishing line, hook and weight assembly can be cast by significantly increasing the force exerted to launch the assembly by building up static force or static pressure on the weight, releasing it when a specified and predetermined amount of force has built up on the fishing line.
An object of the present invention is to contain the weight on the fishing line in a chamber which is attached rigidly to the earth by means of a conical spike and to cause the cylinder to open by force exerted on the line which overcomes the resistance used to maintain a cap on the cylinder.
Another object is to provide a force build up significantly greater than that which could otherwise be exerted by simply swinging the line with the force attached.
A further object is to momentarily increase the mass of the fishing weight by the force exerted to retain a cap on a cylinder wherein the weight is held against the cap and then diminishing this force to zero by the cap being removed and the force thereby being transferred to the weight attached to the line and the line being freed to be launched by the flexure of the fishing rod operated by the fisherman.
Usually the method of casting a fishing line closely resembles tossing a lariat rope and as with the rod and reel method requires a great deal of skill in order to launch the fishing line, weight and hook assembly a significant distance into the surf for fishing. A further object of the present invention is to eliminate the skill required to launch the weight and hook over a great distance by permitting greater force to be applied to the weight prior to its launching. Accordingly, persons who have avoided fishing because they did not have the necessary and requisite skill for launching the line, weight and hook assembly the proper distance for surf or other fishing can readily compensate for this by use of the present casting device and its method of operation.
Other objects, uses and advantages of the invention become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description, the claims and from the drawings in which: